The Trials of Kurosaki Karin
by Elle917
Summary: AU. Set during the ten year gap between Phases of the Moon and Chasing the Moon. Karin and Yuzu have graduated from the Academy, but the rest of their lives are still to come. Join Karin as she works her way through the Eleventh Division, sorting through her relationship with Toshiro and learning a few things about herself along the way. HitsuKarin, IchiRuki.
1. Into Eleventh

**A/N:** It has come to my attention that Karin has not been getting the respect she deserves in my fic _Chasing the Moon. _There's a reason for that, sadly, _Chasing _was always intended to be somewhat Yuzu-centric, because that tends to happen when you build your plot around getting a couple together. HOWEVER, Karin is an awesome character and deserves better. I have a lot of ideas for her, and she doesn't get as much air-time in _Chasing _as I would like. So that's why this fic is here. Like _Phases_, this fic is going to be somewhat slice-of-life-y, and like _Phases, _I don't have much of a plot besides "progress from Point A to Point B" in time. So I can't tell you what to expect, except Eleventh Division awesomeness (I hope). Currently, I'm leaning towards treating this like a series of one (or two or three) shots, with some sort of chronological order between them.

Newcomers, the prequel to this collection is _Phases of the Moon. _If you want to read it, you are absolutely, 100% totally welcome and encouraged to. It will help you understand some of this story. If you don't want to read it, (is long) all you need to know is that Karin and Yuzu are shinigami, and that Ichigo has become captain of the Fifth (I started writing _Phases _before the Vizards became captains; it's now an AU because canon marches on!). The AU follows canon up to Aizen's defeat and gets a little fuzzy after that (because I started writing these stories in 2011, like I said), so assume the Fullbring Arc and the 1000 Year Blood War Arc don't factor into the story until presented with evidence to the contrary.

Oh yeah. And Ichigo and Rukia are a thing. And so are Karin and Toshiro (Karin and Toshiro are a NEW thing at this point, IchiRuki have been together for a while).

And Isshin used to be the heir to a DIFFERENT noble house **related** to the Shibas before defecting from Soul Society to marry Masaki. He was also the captain of the Tenth Division, and is cousins with Kukaku, Kaien, and Ganju. (*fingersnaps* So close. I was sooo close!*headdesk*). That house, in this AU, is known as the Ankoujin Clan, and some characters from there will be showing up here, particularly Ankoujin Masaryu, heir to the clan, Karin, Yuzu, and Ichigo's cousin, and Isshin's nephew. (*points at _Phases _again*)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach. At all.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Into Eleventh**

* * *

The gates of the Eleventh Division opened, admitting the Division's captain. Zaraki Kenpachi grinned, stepping into the barracks with his vice-captain hanging from his shoulder. Behind him trailed a group of newly-made shinigami, most of them looking around nervously as they followed their captain in. The majority of them were here because of skill at zanjutsu; a handful of them were here because they could take a punch. None of them had actually chosen to be here—those choices weren't given to the ordinary rank-and-file.

Well, none of them except one.

Kurosaki Karin, newly-made 20th seat, followed the others into the division, looking around at what her decision had gotten her. A bunch of the old hands had gathered around the outsides of the courtyard, crowding in for a glimpse at the new members of the Division. She felt eyes on her, and kept her back straight, one of her hands resting on her zanpakuto's sheath. Her expression didn't change, her dark gray eyes hard as she stepped into the center of the courtyard. If they were looking for fear from her, she decided, they would be sorely disappointed.

That was the first thing she decided, when she agreed to take on a post at the Eleventh. She wasn't going to be afraid.

Zaraki-taicho came to a stop as they reached the building. Karin stopped as well, frowning. The captain of the Eleventh grinned, turning towards the bald man that stood leaning against one of the pillars that held up the building, his arms folded as he looked out over the group.

"Oi, Ikkaku," said Zaraki, continuing to walk. "They're all yours."

Madarame Ikkaku, 3rd seat of the Eleventh Division, grinned, looking over at the new recruits. Several of them shrank back.

Karin met his stare head-on.

* * *

"Listen up," said Ikkaku, standing in front of the group. The new recruits were standing outside, in an open field meant for practice. They weren't carrying their zanpakuto, each of them holding a wooden sword instead. Karin tightened her grip on hers, holding it so that the point faced the ground. She kept her eyes on Ikkaku, watching as the third seat paced the ground in front of them. "I'm gonna explain how things work in Zaraki's Division. It doesn't matter who you are, what you look like, or where you came from. All that matters is whether or not you're strong. If you're strong, you'll do well here. If you're not, you'll either die or you'll leave. And until you're strong, you're not worthy of Zaraki-taicho's time." He paused, his wooden sword resting on his shoulder as he turned to grin at them. "You're gonna have to deal with me. Oi, you there—" Ikkaku's eyes narrowed, and he turned, pointing his bokken at one of the recruits. "You got a problem?!"

Karin glanced over her shoulder. The recruit in question was a hulking shinigami, at least a foot taller than she was. He'd been caught whispering to the recruit next to him. A murmur of conversation washed over the group, some of the ones around him shying away. For a moment, the guy looked like he was going to do the same thing, but then he stood up, his eyes narrowing as he stepped through the gap in the group.

"Yeah, I just got one question," he said, leveling a finger at Karin. "What's that chick doing here?"

Karin scowled as she turned towards him, her eyes narrowing. A few of the shinigami around her stepped back suddenly, nervous looks on their faces. Ikkaku glanced at her for a moment, before turning back towards the shinigami. "You got a name?" he asked.

"Nakashima," said the shinigami. "Nakashima Yoshito."

"Alright, Nakashima," said Ikkaku. "What's your problem with 20th Seat Kurosaki?"

"You're kidding," said Nakashima, looking back at Karin. He snorted. "That little thing's a seated officer? Thought this was supposed to be about strength!"

Murmurs sprang up around Karin at the mention of her last name, spreading through the group. Karin caught the words 'Kurosaki-taicho's sister' once or twice, along with 'Hitsugaya-taicho's girlfriend'. She stood still forcing herself to say nothing as the gap around her widened. Nakashima grinned, hearing the whispers getting spread around.

"Oh?" he asked, straightening up. "Hitsugaya-taicho, huh? It makes sense now." He turned towards Ikkaku. "Hey, 3rd Seat Madarame, which captain do I have to sleep with to get promoted in this Division?"

Karin kept her eyes closed, the corner of her eye twitching at Nakashima's words. Her grip tightened on her sword. Around her, the reaction was mixed. Some of the group, the stupid ones, hooted and jeered at Nakashima's words. The smart ones took a few more steps back, getting out of the way. Ikkaku's reaction was to glance at Karin, ignoring Nakashima for the moment. "Oi, Kurosaki. You wanna take this?"

Karin opened her eyes, turning to face Nakashima. Reiatsu crackled around her, her eyes narrowing into a glare. Ikkaku grinned, taking a step back. "That's what I thought," he said.

Nakashima turned towards Karin, holding his sword in both hands. He was grinning. "I just gotta beat her to take her seat, right?" he asked. "That's how it works in this Division?"

"If you win, we'll talk," said Ikkaku, still grinning.

"Alright," said Nakashima, turning towards Karin. "Sorry about that, girlie. Guess you ain't keeping your seat."

"Your funeral," said Karin, scowling. She gripped her sword in both hands, pointing it in front of her.

Nakashima frowned, the grin fading from his face. "You like to talk tough, don't ya?" he asked. "I'll show you what happens to people who mess with me!"

He charged forward with a yell, raising his sword. Karin said nothing, lifting her own bokken to meet it.

* * *

"Hmm?" A pink-haired girl looked up as reiatsu crackled through the air, turning her attention to the source. Yachiru leaned over Kenpachi's shoulder, squinting as she turned towards the training field. "Hey, Ken-chan, I think Rin-chan's fighting!"

Kenpachi grunted in response, turning his attention to the training field. From his and Yachiru's positions on the roof, they could see most of the drama playing out below. Karin was standing in the center of a group made up of the other recruits, facing off against one of the other recruits he'd rounded up on his way back from the Academy. Naka—Naka something. Both of them had bokkens in hand, but the reiatsu that filled the air was all Karin's. He would have recognized it without being told—if you didn't know what to look for, it was easy to mistake it for Ichigo's.

He rested one arm across his knee, leaning forward slightly to get a better look. "Oh...?"

The two of them came together, Nakashima's sword slamming against Karin's with a loud crack as she raised it to block. Nakashima stepped to the side, letting out a loud shout as he transitioned into a side cut. The blow struck Karin in the side, making her stagger as she stumbled to the left. Nakashima quickly followed through with a diagonal cut upwards, catching Karin in the jaw and knocking her head back. Not done, the hulking recruit shifted the direction of his sword, pivoting around in the air and bringing it down across Karin's shoulder with a crack. That sent her stumbling back, crashing to the ground. Kenpachi frowned, his eyes on the scene in front of her as Nakashima swiped his sword out in front of him, looking triumphant. He pumped his fist in the air, grinning as the training yard went silent.

From over his shoulder, Yachiru let out a moan of disappointment. "Well that wasn't fun..." she said.

Kenpachi said nothing, his eyes still on the field. Ikkaku made no move to call the fight, even when Nakashima turned towards him and pointed. He'd probably seen it too, the fact that Karin hadn't even raised her sword.

That reiatsu crackled back to life, filling the air again.

* * *

Karin propped herself up with the bokken, pushing herself back to her feet. Reiatsu flared around her, the crowd going silent again. She watched as Nakashima turned towards her, his face frozen in an expression of rage. She shifted her grip on her sword to one hand, using the other to rub at her jaw where he'd struck her. That one had actually hurt—she'd give him that. Her shihakusho was hanging open from where he'd slashed at her. She frowned, then loosened the ties with one hand, shrugging the upper part of the uniform off so that it hung around her waist and leaving her in the sarashi under-wrappings. The cloth wrap covered up enough, she reasoned, and it was easier to move in for now.

"That all you got?" she asked Nakashima, who was staring at her.

They were _all _staring at her.

When he didn't say anything, she nodded, placing her other hand back on the hilt of her sword. "Right," she said. "My turn."

Karin flash-stepped forward, disappearing in the air. She reappeared at Nakashima's side, swinging her sword. He spun to counter her, eyes wide, but he was too late. "Too slow!" she said, the wooden blade slipping under his defense and smacking him in the side. He stumbled, one hand grasping at his side as he swiped at her with the other hand. Karin darted out of the way, taking a step back and moving out of the reach of his sword. She raised her bokken up over her head with both hands, bringing it down over Nakashima's knuckles with a loud _crack. _He grunted in pain, dropping the sword, but Karin wasn't done. She stepped in, swinging her blade with both hands at his head. He raised one arm to block her, the arm taking the brunt of the blow as he took a step back. Karin slashed twice more in quick succession, Nakashima letting out grunts of pain as each blow smacked his arm. She jumped back as he grabbed at her, sliding back in the air. Karin ran to the side as Nakashima scrambled to pick up his sword, taking another flash step before he could reach it. She slashed at the side of his head, the blow catching him in the cheek just under the eye. The force of it nearly sent him toppling over, but he kept his footing somehow. As he stumbled, she spun, shifting her grip on her sword to one hand as she let out a loud shout.

Her foot caught Nakashima just under the chin. He went flying, crashing back into the group of stunned recruits.

He didn't get back up.

Karin landed neatly on the ground, swiping her sword in front of her. She opened her eyes, resting the flat of the blade on her bare shoulder and looking around at the others. "Alright, who's next?!" she shouted, her eyes narrowing. No one answered, a few of them stepping back. Another wave of muttering started up among the group. Karin waited, counting off the seconds. "No one?" she asked, after a while. "Really? Okay, then let me make a few things clear." She stepped forward, waking towards the unconscious Nakashima. "First of all, Kurosaki is my brother. The name's _Karin._ I'll take Karin-san if you really have to. Second of all, yeah, I'm 20th Seat. Any of you want that from me, you're welcome to try. Ask your pal Yoshito how that turned out. Third of all—if any of you punks have a fucking _problem_ with me being a girl, you better say so right now while I've still got a wooden sword, because when I get Ongetsu back, it's not gonna be pretty."

She paused, coming to a stop in front of Nakashima. Karin stared down at him, then placed her foot on his chest, straightening up.

"Oh, yeah, and one more thing!" she said, facing the stunned group. She swiped her sword out, pointing it at them. "The next time any of you asshats have a problem with who I date, you can take it up with _me!"_

* * *

Kenpachi watched from the rooftop as the rest of the recruits surrounded Karin and Nakashima, Ikkaku clapping his hands and yelling something that brought back some sort of order. Karin slipped her wooden sword back into her belt and stepped back, slipping her arms back into the sleeves of her shihakusho. She tugged it back into place, the group of recruits parting as she took her place back in the ranks.

"Ne, ne, Ken-chan, that was a good fight!" said Yachiru from beside him, clapping her hands in excitement. Kenpachi glanced at her, watching as she draped herself over his shoulder, still smiling. She was getting a little big for that now, but did it anyway, turning her head to smile at him. "Don't you think so, Ken-chan?"

He looked back at the scene, a shark-like grin spreading over his face.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**A/N: **The second Karin fight scene was written to the tune of Number One. (And finally, the gender of the "you're the queen of the scene" line actually matches. XD)

* * *

**Omake: Masa's Shinigami Diary**

_The lights fade, focusing on a single dark-haired, blue-eyed shinigami. He stands in front of a blank wall, a pointer in his hand, as he faces the audience. The shinigami clears his throat, pointing at the screen. _

_"Hello," he says. "My name is Ankoujin Masaryu. Welcome to my Shinigami Diary. Today, we are going to discuss Ongetsu, my cousin Kurosaki Karin's zanpakuto." _

_The image on the screen changes, becoming a katana with a black hilt. In the background, a scythe can be seen, a broken chain attached to one end of the shaft. Masa points at the scythe, his expression stern. "Ongetsu's shikai reveals itself as a scythe," he says. "The blade, shaft, and flat are all black. It has a suspicious black aura. Also, it can use Getsuga Tenshou. The zanpakuto is meant to represent the new moon. It—."  
_

_"It's actually very creepy, isn't it?" asks a female voice. _

_Masa looks up, his eyes narrowing at the shinigami who has just arrived, standing on the other side of the screen. She is a brown-haired woman wearing round glasses, and is shorter than him. "What are you doing here, Iwase?" he asks. "This is my show." _

_"I thought you might need some help," says Iwase Kohaku, grinning. "Besides, it's not like I'm getting any screen time in this fic." _

_"Screen time?" asks Masa, frowning. "Fic? What are you talking about, Iwase?" _

_"You don't know?" asks Kohaku, frowning at him. She sighs, resting her hands on her hips. "Well, I guess you wouldn't. You're just an original character, after all." _

_"Original?" asks Masa, frowning at her. "Oi, what do you think you are, Iwase?" _

_Kohaku only smiles, turning towards the audience. "Anyway, see you next time!" she says. _

_The screen fades black, revealing the words 'To Be Continued'. On the other side, Masa's voice can be heard. _

_"Oi, Iwase! Don't just fade out my own segment!" _


	2. Those first few nights

**A/N:** Thanks guys, for the reviews! Much appreciated!

After some consideration, I've decided to let Ichigo and Rukia take a stronger appearance in this fic too. ^^ (Both because they also don't get enough love in either of the _Phases/Chasing _stories, and because they have a definite ten-year timeline I can use to keep SOME structure in this plot XD. After all, there's a major life event for both of them that kind of gets glossed over between _Phases _and _Chasing._) This chapter checks in on IchiRuki, and then there's going to be some HitsuKarin in the next.

I couldn't get the thought out of my head that Ichigo is a closet workaholic. XD We've all seen that he takes his studies really seriously, surprising a lot of people. Why not the same thing with paperwork?

**aSilentReader, **Karin, Yuzu and company graduated in a special officer ceremony, so the ordinary graduates wouldn't know what division they decided to join. They might not even know who they were, considering the twins kind of stayed among the top classes for their whole time at the Academy. Regarding bokkens, yes, you can and do use the term 'blade' to describe the 'blade' side of the bokken and the term 'flat' to describe the other side of it. This is because when you train with a bokken, you're treating it as if it were a real sword, except for the fact that it (probably) won't kill your opponent. (Source: I do swordsmanship, and when we use bokkens, we treat them as though they are live, making a distinction between the _ha_ or blade-side and the _mune _or flat.). Thanks for asking, and never apologize for long reviews! I like long reviews! As for Masa/Kohaku, well...we'll see~ Fufufufu~

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach. At all.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Those first few nights**

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo, captain of the Fifth Division, stared down at the form in front of him, his pen scratching against the paper as he wrote out a few more lines. The sound echoed in the quiet office, the only sound besides that of his vice-captain doing her own paperwork as well, steadily moving through her own stack. He paused as he looked up, wondering what time it was anyway. The world outside had already gone dark, the office lit by the soft glow of the lights set into the walls. His eyes moved towards the clock on the office wall opposite from him. It was almost eight. He glanced at Hinamori again, then put down his pen, raising his arms over his head in a stretch and rubbing at a crick in his neck.

"Alright," he said, making her look up. "That's enough for today. Get out of here, Hinamori."

Hinamori blinked, looking up at him. "Taicho?"

"If you stand up Kira one more time, we're gonna have to put him on suicide watch," said Ichigo.

"But—." Hinamori's eyes moved towards the paperwork again.

"There's nothing here that can't wait until tomorrow," said Ichigo, leaning back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling. "Go on. Scram."

He heard the sound of Hinamori's chair scraping against the floor as it slid back, followed by the vice-captain getting to her feet. "Well, um, if you're sure, taicho..." she began uncertainly.

"I'm sure," said Ichigo, waving his hand in the direction of the door.

He heard Hinamori gather up her things and start to walk towards it. She paused at the door to the office, realizing something. Hinamori placed her hand on the door frame and looked back, her eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. "This doesn't mean you get to do the paperwork while I'm gone," she said, pointing at him. "You have to leave the office too!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Ichigo, sitting up and looking at her. "I'm done for the day."

Hinamori didn't look convinced. Her eyes narrowed further, as if she was trying to glare at him, but with the rest of her expression, it looked more like she was pouting. "I don't believe you," she said.

"Do I look that hard-working to you?" asked Ichigo. "Go on, Hinamori."

Hinamori stared at him for a moment more before she stepped back, evidently satisfied. Her expression brightened, and she smiled. "Alright," she said. "Have a good evening, taicho!"

"Yeah, you too."

Hinamori's footsteps disappeared down the hallway, moving quickly. Ichigo waited until she reached the corner, then glanced down at his desk, his hand moving towards the pen again. He looked up sharply at the sound of a flash step, pulling his hand away from the pen and straightening up just as Hinamori poked her head back into the office, her eyes narrowed.

"This also doesn't mean you get to take paperwork to your room," she said. "I mean it, taicho. If I stop working, so do you."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it, I got it," said Ichigo, waving his hand. "Get going. You're gonna be late."

"Hmmmmmm..." Hinamori paused, giving him a suspicious stare, before turning around and walking back down the hallway. Ichigo let out the breath he was holding, listening as her footsteps faded away. He considered the stack of papers in front of him.

Another flash-step brought her back, causing him to sit up straight again.

"I _will know_," she said.

"Just go, Hinamori!" he yelled.

Hinamori gave him her best impression of a withering stare, keeping her eyes on him as she stepped back and closed the door. This time, Ichigo waited until he was sure he heard the doors to the barracks open and close behind her, then exhaled, reaching for his pen—.

"Ichigo!"

The window behind him slid open, a shinigami leaping into the room. Ichigo let out a shout of surprise, dropping the pen and quickly throwing himself away from the window. The sudden motion pushed his chair off-balance, and he fell over, knocking a handful of files off his desk and scattering papers all over the floor. He pushed himself up on his elbows, his eyes wide as he kicked the chair away from him and his heart feeling like it was going a mile a minute.

"What the hell is _wrong _with you?" he asked the intruder.

Kuchiki Rukia gave him a tense smile, the corner of her lip twitching with the effort as she walked over to him. "Now, now, Ichigo," she said, her foot landing on his chest and pushing him back onto the ground. "Is that any way to talk to your girlfriend who you love?"

Ichigo used both hands to remove her foot from his chest and put it down on the ground beside him, sitting up and rubbing at the back of his head. "Give me a break," he said. "You're the one coming in through the window in the middle of the night."

"Nostalgic, isn't it?" asked Rukia, looking down at him.

"A pain is more like it," said Ichigo, getting to his feet. He bent down, starting to pick up the files that had fallen. Rukia moved over to help him, picking up the papers and stacking them into neat piles on his desk. "What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked, as they worked. "You know, Byakuya's gonna kill me if anyone saw you come in that way. He made me promise not to cause a scandal."

"Ichigo, please," said Rukia. "You're a living, walking scandal. Nii-sama only expects you to mitigate those effects." She handed the papers back to him, and he took them from her gratefully, setting them down. Rukia folded her arms, perching at the edge of his desk and turning to face him.

"So, what are you doing here anyway?" he asked, after she had made herself comfortable.

"Renji and I drew straws," said Rukia. "He wanted to come through the wall."

"Renji?" Ichigo repeated. "Why...?" He trailed off, his eyes moving towards the calendar. They widened. "Shit," he said, looking back at Rukia. "That was today?"

"Don't worry," said Rukia. "You didn't miss much. Matsumoto tried to convince the others to bring the party to you. We talked her down."

Ichigo let out a sigh of relief. The thought of a drunken Matsumoto and whoever else she managed to drag along with her bursting into the Fifth in the dead of night was terrifying enough. Hinamori had already been through enough trauma. He blinked, noticing that Rukia had picked the topmost file off his desk and was now flipping through it casually, her eyes moving down the page.

"Hey!" he said. "Don't just read another Division's paperwork!"

Rukia waved him off, pulling back as he lunged forward and tried to grab the file from her. She glanced up at him from over the folder's rim. "A request to the soutaicho for training exercises outside of Seireitei?" she asked. Her eyes moved over the other files on his desk. "New orders for your seated officers? Squad rearrangements? My, Ichigo, you've been busy."

Ichigo sighed, running a hand over his face. "Look, it's just an idea," he said, placing his hands on the desk on either side of her to keep himself up. At Rukia's raised eyebrow, he went on, scowling. "The Fifth doesn't really have a specialty," he explained. "Ever since Aizen happened, it just kind of fell apart. But everyone's worked really hard, and we're almost back to the same numbers we had before the Winter War. I want the Fifth to become something more than what Aizen turned it into. A Division that protects people. Go on and laugh if you want."

Rukia met his eyes, her own gaze softening. "Ichigo, I'm not going to," she said, releasing her grip on the file. "That sounds like a good plan, and...very much like you." Her hand went up, brushing the side of his face. Ichigo paused, realizing suddenly how close they were. While trying to get the file from her, he had moved forward without thinking. Now, he was standing in front of her, leaning into her, his hands braced on either side of her as she leaned back.

"...Ichigo?" asked Rukia, her fingertips brushing his hair. He took a shaky breath and slowly pulled away.

"Sorry," he said. "You were saying something?"

"I was just asking about the new officers," said Rukia. "Masaryu moved in last week, didn't he?"

"Yeah," said Ichigo, nodding. "He's got a room down the hall. He's doing fine. Hinamori's already found a place for him helping out Sanada's team. The new guys are fitting in well too." He paused as he remembered an altercation earlier that week, where some of the new members wouldn't help clean out a storage room. Something about some of the old materials in there being cursed. Ichigo had had to go in there himself to show them that there was nothing to be afraid of. He put the thought out of his mind, turning his attention back to Rukia. "How's the Thirteenth doing?" he asked.

"About the same," said Rukia, shrugging. "The recruits are getting along fine. Sentaro and Kiyone keep asking the new members to choose between them." She paused, looking up at Ichigo. "I hear Karin made another scene at Eleventh today."

"I'm trying very hard not to hear what Karin's up to," said Ichigo, folding his arms. After the first day, when Ikkaku and Yumichika had regaled him with a story about Karin cowing her entire recruit class into submission, he'd decided that paying too much attention to Karin's activities would give him a heart attack.

Rukia smiled at him. "She was out with Hitsugaya-taicho today," she said. "I think they went to dinner."

"Trying very hard not to hear anything about that either," said Ichigo, his eye twitching. He paused, opening his eyes. "Wait, do you know where they were going to dinner?"

Rukia blinked. "No, I don't," she said. "Why?"

Ichigo's eyes moved to Hinamori's empty desk, a droplet of sweat forming on the back of his head. "No reason," he said.

* * *

"You're here too, Hitsugaya-kun?"

Toshiro and Karin looked up at the sound of the voice, their eyes widening as they saw Hinamori approach their table, a slightly flustered looking Kira in tow. The two of them were seated at a table in the corner of the restaurant, the half-eaten remnants of their meal spread out on plates between them.

"Hinamori," said Toshiro, blinking. "What are you doing here?"

"Just going to dinner," said Hinamori, her eyes moving over the two of them. They widened slightly as they noticed Karin. "Oh! Are you on a date, Shiro-chan?"

Karin turned bright red, her grip tightening on her chopsticks. Across from her, the same flush was mirrored on Toshiro's face, along with a sudden look of annoyance. "Who is Shiro-chan?!"

Hinamori ignored the outburst, clapping her hands together and smiling brightly. "Aha! I knew it! You two are so cute together!"

_"Cute?!" _Karin and Toshiro demanded at the same time, turning towards her.

"Oi, come off it," said Karin, settling back into her seat. She scowled, her eyes moving over the two of them. "You're on a date too!"

"What?" Hinamori blinked in confusion, looking back at Kira. She turned back towards them, smiling. "No, it's not a date. Kira's just a friend!"

Kira's eyes widened, the air seeming to shatter around him. He mumbled to himself, darkness surrounding him as he turned away from her. "It's not a date...I'm just a friend..." Hinamori continued to smile, seeming not to notice, as Toshiro and Karin stared at Kira with wide eyes.

"Oi, Hinamori..." Toshiro began.

"...I think she broke him," said Karin.

"Anyway, Shiro-chan, we'll leave you alone," said Hinamori, walking off. "Don't want to bother you on your date!"

Toshiro stared after her as she disappeared, dragging a depressed Kira along with her. He blinked, and then Karin saw his eyes narrow, his grip tightening on his chopsticks as a vein pulsed on his forehead.

"It's Hitsugaya-taicho!"he shouted to no one in particular.

* * *

"Anyway, that's not really important." said Ichigo, looking away from Hinamori's desk. Was it just his imagination, or could he feel Toshiro's reiatsu flaring up from somewhere on the other side of Seiretei?

Nah. Couldn't be.

"By the way, Rukia..." He looked back at her, his eyes narrowing as if he was noticing her for the first time."How long are you planning on sitting on my desk?"

"Oh?" Rukia gave him a teasing smile, crossing her legs. "You don't like me on your desk, Ichigo?"

_No. I like you there too much. That's the problem, _thought Ichigo, sweat drops forming on the back of his head as he considered her. He thought of Byakuya tearing into his office with the full power of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi coming in behind him, and the thought was enough to help him keep his cool for a few moments.

Hinamori, he reminded himself. Hinamori did not need any more trauma.

As if reading his mind, Rukia sighed, pushing herself off the desk and landing neatly on the floor so that she was standing in front of him. She folded her arms and leaned against the edge of the desk, sighing. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he thought she looked a little...disappointed? "Anyway," she said, changing the subject. "About your plan. I think it's a good one. If you don't mind, I'll go over it with Ukitake-taicho tomorrow and see if we can't hold a joint practice."

"That would be great," said Ichigo, meaning it. "Thanks."

Ukitake was one of the most experienced captains in the Gotei 13, and probably the one most willing to work with another Division. It would be great to get Ukitake's opinion on how things were going with the Fifth. He paused as he realized where his thoughts were going, looking out over the office.

Five years.

He hadn't realized it had already been that long. When he'd first accepted this position, he hadn't really known what he was doing, only that the Fifth had been incredibly damaged from Aizen's betrayal, and was still trying to recover. He'd managed to muddle through somehow, with Hinamori's help, had managed to get the old hands to trust him, maybe even respect him. He hadn't realized before how much work actually went into being a captain—running the Division, keeping things in order, filing paperwork and making sure that everything was the way it should be.

Now? The Fifth was a livelier place. There were more people than before, and it wasn't as gloomy as it had been. Hinamori had even started smiling for real in the past few years, instead of the sad smiles she'd given him before. Things were getting better. Soul Society was starting to trust them again.

He still didn't know what he was doing.

There were still conflicts within the Division. A lot of the old guard didn't see eye-to-eye with Ichigo's new officers. They still didn't really have a specialty, and were still not pulling as many new recruits as the other Divisions. And Aizen's presence hadn't really gone away. It still hung over the Fifth like a cloud, a name that everyone knew and nobody wanted to say.

"You've done a lot for the Fifth..." said Rukia softly, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Ichigo glanced at her, realizing that she probably did. "As much as anyone can do. Don't worry about it."

"We're not there yet," said Ichigo, folding his arms as he looked out over the office.

He didn't know where _there _was, only that he'd know when they got there. A Division that protected people...that trusted each other. That protected itself.

Well, it would be a start.

He walked over to the desk, sliding a thin folder out from underneath the file and flipping through it. "Tell Ukitake," he said as he scanned the list of names. "If he wants to do joint training, he can have Hamasaki and Ikegami's teams." He thought for a minute. "And Masa." Hamasaki was part of the old guard, a fifth seat under Aizen. Ikegami was one of the new, a seventh seat that Ichigo had managed to pull out of Third. They didn't see eye-to-eye. Maybe having Ukitake's eyes on them would make them reconsider.

Tossing Masaryu into the mix was just an afterthought. It would be interesting to see what he'd do.

"I'll tell him," said Rukia nodding. "Tomorrow. Don't work yourself too hard."

"Yeah, yeah," said Ichigo, waving a hand dismissively.

"And Ichigo..."

He froze as Rukia stepped closer to him, her lips millimeters from his. She smirked at his expression, her breath fanning against his lips. "Nii-sama doesn't know everything..." she whispered.

She pressed her lips lightly to his and stepped away, disappearing out the window before he could think to move again. Ichigo blinked, frozen in place as he stared at the open window. He could still feel Rukia's lips on his, the feather-light touch of her reiatsu against his skin.

—Dammit. He was going to die a cherry blossom related death thanks to that woman.

The worst part was, he didn't even care.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**Omake: Masa (AND KOHAKU)'s Shinigami Diary (OF AWESOME)**

_Masa frowns as the lights come on, looking up at the title above his head. His eyes narrow, and he turns to the girl next to him. "Oi, Iwase," he says. "Did you change our title?" _

_Kohaku smirks, pushing her glasses up with one hand with her eyes closed. "Fufufu~" she laughs. "I made it better!" _

_Masa folds his arms, clearly wondering whether or not it's worth correcting her. His eye twitches, before he looks to the audience, deciding it's best to just get on with it. "Well whatever," he says, pulling his pointer out of the sleeve of his shihakusho. He unfolds it, pointing it at the screen. The screen changes, showing a katana with a white and blue hilt. In the background are two white fans, connected by a white sash. "Today, we will be discussing Jungetsu, my cousin Kurosaki Yuzu's zanp_—" __

__Kohaku lets out a sudden squeal, turning towards the screen with wide eyes. "_—Kyaa!" she says, interrupting him. "We're discussing___ Yuzu-chan's _zanpakuto?!" _

_"Um...yes," says Masaryu, frowning. "After all, Jungetsu is next in the order of things." _

_"Jungetsu is so cool!" says Kohaku, excitedly. _

_Masa gives her a strange look. "I'm...sure, Iwase," he says. He turns back towards the audience. "Anyway, Jungetsu's shikai manifests as a pair of white fans. The fans themselves are not sharp, however, the tines are hollow, allowing Yuzu to form blades using her reiatsu. The blades appear light blue." The images change as Masa speaks, illustrating what he is saying. _

_"And the sash is extendable!" says Kohaku, interrupting. She starts speaking rather quickly. "So Yuzu-chan can throw the fans in any direction she wants! And the blades can change size too! And she can use them open like fans or close them and use them like daggers! And she can also fire the blades like projectiles in a technique called Haneame_—which is so totally not like a Quincy attack at all!_—and she can use Getsuga Tenshou, and, and_—!" ____

____"Iwase..." says Masa, taking a step back as Kohaku takes over the screen. "You're scaring me." ____

____"Don't listen to him, Yuzu-chan," says Kohaku, pulling out a small plushie from the sleeve of her robes. She sets the doll on her shoulder, patting it on the head. "He doesn't understand." ____

____Masa gives her a flat look, still pulling away from her. "...Is that a chibi plushie of my cousin?" he asks, as if he's afraid to know the answer.____

____"It's a Shinigami Women's Association approved shinigami plush!" says Kohaku, patting the chibi on the head. "There's one for a lot of people_—although for some reason the Kuchiki-taicho versions got cancelled because of severe cherry-blossom petal related damages. Which is a shame, because I'm sure Yuzu-chan would have loved one. But anyway, yes, this version perfectly reflects Yuzu-chan's sweetness and elegance! Kya, it's so cute!" She hugs the plushie closer to herself. It lets out a small squeak. _____

_____"Iwase..." says Masa, looking more than a little creeped out. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but do you and the plush representation of my cousin require a few minutes alone?" _____

_____"Masachin's just jealous because no one wants to hug him," says Kohaku to the audience. _____

_____"I_—_IWASE!" _____

_____"Anyway," says Kohaku, ignoring him. She reaches down towards the bottom of the screen, pulling up the review box. The chibi plushie of Yuzu sits on the corner as she holds it up. "If you have any questions for me and Masachin, or for anybody in this alternate universe, please feel free to type them here. We'll answer them when we can, okay?" _____

_____Masa pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing. "We're inviting audience participation now?" he asks. _____

_____"Always, Masachin! Always!" says Kohaku. She turns to the audience, grinning. "So type up your questions, and we'll see you next time! Ja ne!"_____

_____The screen fades to black again. _____


	3. Those simple sunlit days

**A/N: **By this time in the story, Yachiru looks about ten or eleven, pretty much approaching puberty.

Thanks so much for the reviews guys! Glad you liked it. As promised, here's more Karin.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach. At all.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Those simple sunlit days**

* * *

"Um...so...what if the heroine gets kidnapped?" asked Yuzu, tapping the corner of her pen on the notebook's blank page.

"And one of the guys has to save her?" asked Karin, glancing over at her twin. "Bo-ring."

"Why is it boring?" asked Yuzu, frowning at Karin. "It's a romantic action story. Everyone loves those."

"Well, why can't the heroine just save herself?" said Karin. "Why's she have to wait for one of the guys to come get her?"

"Because she's a princess," said Yuzu. "She's never shown any fighting abilities before!"

"So? Why does she have to fight? She's got a working brain-maybe she slips out while the villain's not looking. Also, why's the villain kidnapping her in the first place?"

"Because she's the princess?"

"Yeah...?" said Karin, sitting up. "But then what? You don't just run around kidnapping princesses for no reason, you know."

"Um...I haven't thought about that before."

Yuzu frowned in thought, tapping the end of her pen against her cheek. Karin watched her sister for a moment before leaning back against the Division's wall, rubbing at her sore shoulder. The two of them were seated on the veranda of the Sixth Division barracks, Yuzu hard at work on the next issue of her story for Seireitei Communication. It had been a month since their graduation from the Academy, and the first time since then that the both of them had had a day off on the same day.

Not that Karin was particularly busy these days anyway. Unlike Yuzu, Masa, and Kohaku, her tasks as 20th Seat seemed to boil down to just training, training, and more training. Apparently, Eleventh really didn't do much unless there was something to fight, and none of the more senior officers really cared if the Division members slipped out in the middle of the day, as long as they'd proven they could hold their own in a fight. Karin had done that, at least as far as was appropriate for her rank, and over the past couple of weeks, the number of challenges for her seat she'd received had waned considerably. There had been a few tough guys like Nakashima with chips on their shoulders, but after the first couple of weeks, when she showed that she could hold her own, those had pretty much died down, and it looked like the other Division members finally accepted her as one of them.

She still got challenged to a fight quite a few times, but those were just for fun.

Karin closed her eyes as Yuzu started writing, clasping her hands together behind her head and enjoying the feeling of the sun on her face. It _was _nice to get out of the Division every once in a while. Dealing with the Eleventh's rowdiness sometimes got a little old, and while the Eleventh wasn't really strict compared to some of the other Divisions, it was still a Division of the Gotei 13 and it had its own rules, so it was nice to get out and go somewhere where no one questioned her actions.

"Kurosaki Karin," said a cold voice. "Why are you in my Division?"

—Alright, so maybe she spoke too soon.

"I'm visiting my sister," she said, cracking an eye open to glare at the Division's captain. "It's her day off. Is that not allowed now?"

Kuchiki Byakuya frowned at her before looking away, continuing to walk through the courtyard back towards his office. Karin glared at his back, waiting until he rounded the corner.

"Prick," she muttered under her breath.

"Karin-chan!" said Yuzu.

"Well, it's true," said Karin, laying back down. She closed her eyes. "I still don't know why you chose this Division."

"It's not too bad," said Yuzu as she wrote, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "Sometimes, it's kind of nice."

Karin frowned, watching her twin out of the corner of her eye. After a few moments, she sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, whatever," she said, closing her eyes again.

* * *

It was a few hours later when Karin started making her way back to the Eleventh, the sun hanging low in the afternoon sky. The young shinigami placed one hand on Ongetsu's sheath, a frown on her face as she neared the Tenth. Toshiro would probably be done working by now, she reasoned, unless Matsumoto had ditched him again. _That _was always a possibility. Maybe she should just stop in and see if he was around. That was what girlfriends did, wasn't it? Or not. She'd just seen him yesterday, after all—she didn't want to be clingy. Not that she hadn't visited him a lot _before _they were in this relationship, and not that the tone of their visits had really changed much since then.

He didn't seem to _mind _her visiting him, come to think of it. Except in the month since the coming of age ceremony, Matsumoto had started teasing him more whenever she was over. _That_, he didn't seem to like. So was she supposed to yell at Matsumoto to get her off his back? Karin thought so, but maybe if she denied the teasing too much, he'd think she wasn't actually interested. And they _were _actually dating—

—In that moment, Kurosaki Karin realized that she had no idea how to be a girlfriend.

She scowled in frustration, scratching the back of her head. Dammit. This was so much simpler when they had just been friends.

Not that she minded—er...other aspects of their relationship, she thought, a flush spreading its way onto her cheeks. Like the kissing. The kissing was nice.

_Toshiro's hands on her arms beneath a starlit sky, his grip tentative as though he wasn't sure what to do with his hands—the first few tentative kisses, slowly growing bolder—a steady heat radiating from the pit of her stomach as she pulled him closer, slanting her mouth against his to deepen the kiss—_

Karin cleared her throat, feeling the warmth on her face. Alright, she admitted to herself, the kissing was very nice.

Not that she'd ever admit _that _to anyone.

A small foot slammed into the space between her shoulder blades, cutting that thought short. Karin's eyes widened as she felt herself suddenly thrown forward, and she threw her hands out to stop herself as she fell to the ground. She let out a small 'oof' as she hit the ground hard, her eyes narrowing as she looked over her shoulder at the perpetrator.

"What the hell was that for?!" she demanded.

"Rin-chan seemed distracted," said Yachiru, smiling up at her from where she'd landed on the ground. "So I decided to say hi!"

"You don't say hi to people by _kicking them_!" shouted Karin.

"You don't?" Yachiru tapped her chin, seeming genuinely confused. "Ken-chan says it's okay, though."

"That's another problem we're not addressing," Karin muttered under her breath.

Yachiru didn't seem to hear her. "And isn't that how _you _say hi to your dad, Rin-chan?" she asked.

"That's a different case," said Karin, holding out her hand. Yachiru took it, pulling her back up to her feet with surprising strength. Karin let go of the hand as Yachiru released her, dusting off her shihakusho.

"How's that different?" asked Yachiru, frowning.

"My dad's an idiot."

"Aha!" said Yachiru. "So I should kick Maki-Maki!"

"You do that, kid," said Karin. She straightened up her robes, frowning at the pink-haired girl. "So, what's up?"

Yachiru grinned, spinning and striking a pose. "Ta-da!" she said, indicating her hair. "What do you think?"

Karin frowned, glancing at Yachiru's hair. It had been growing longer over the years, and now she had pulled it back, into two pink pigtails on the side of her head. One of those pigtails was secured with a regular white band, the other with a hairband that had a skull and crossbones design on it.

"Pigtails?" she asked.

"They're cute, aren't they?" asked Yachiru. "Yun-Yun helped me with them! He said they'll keep my hair out of my face while I'm training! Sankecchi likes them too!" She held onto her zanpakuto sheath with both hands, smiling up at Karin.

Karin frowned at her. "Oi..." she said. "You even gave your zanpakuto a nickname?"

"She likes it!" said Yachiru.

"That thing's a she?" asked Karin, taking a step back.

"Well, of course she is! Why would you think she wasn't?"

Karin frowned, thinking back to the first and only time she had ever seen Yachiru release her zanpakuto, on a dare from one of the new recruits. She shuddered as she remembered one of the sword beasts grinning at her. "No reason," she said. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I thought we could hang out together, since we're both girls," said Yachiru, grinning. "We could go fight Hollows and then paint our nails!"

A droplet of sweat formed on the back of Karin's head. "Hey...um...don't you think that plan's a little messed up?"

"No it isn't," said Yachiru, frowning. "Because if I do my nails first, they'll just get ruined when we get Hollow guts all over them! That's what Yun-Yun said anyway."

"You really need to stop taking beauty advice from Yumichika," said Karin, flatly.

"But he's the _girliest_!" said Yachiru.

"Can't argue with you there," said Karin. She frowned, thinking back to what Yachiru had just said. "Anyway, I'll pass on the nail thing. It's not really my style."

"So, just the Hollows?" asked Yachiru.

"We can't really go out and fight Hollows whenever we want, you know," said Karin, frowning at the vice-captain.

"Then, we could go take sweets from Ukki!" said Yachiru. "Or sneak into Byakkun's house! He still hasn't found all my tunnels, you know. Or we can go to the ikebana club and eat the flowers! Or we could—"

"—How about we just play soccer?" asked Karin, interrupting her.

Yachiru frowned. "You have weird hobbies, Rin-chan," she said.

"Look who's talking," Karin muttered, folding her arms.

"Anyway, come on!" said Yachiru, stepping forward. "There's gotta be something we can do! I bet we could—."

"What's with all the noise?" asked a familiar voice. Both Karin and Yachiru looked up, Yachiru releasing Karin's wrist. Toshiro stood just outside his Division, a frown on his face. His arms were folded across his chest.

Yachiru's eyes widened, her smile brightening as she turned to him. "It's Shiro-chan!" she said, pointing.

Toshiro's eyes narrowed, his hand clenching into a fist. "Who is Shiro-chan?!" he demanded.

* * *

"So that's the story," said Toshiro to Karin, the two of them sitting on the rooftop of the Tenth Division barracks.

"Yeah." Karin lay back, placing her hands behind her head and looking up at the sky. "I don't know why Yachiru wants to hang out with me or whatever. It's not like she doesn't have other friends. There's that whole Shinigami Women's Association thing."

"I wouldn't say those are her friends," said Toshiro, looking over at her. "Underlings might be the word that you're looking for."

"Well, whatever," said Karin. "It's close enough."

"Maybe it's because she thinks the two of you are similar," said Toshiro.

Karin cracked an eye open to glare at him. "What out of the two of us is similar?" she asked.

Toshiro said nothing, his eyes moving towards the Eleventh Division as a shout of pain rang through the air. Yachiru had abandoned Karin when Toshiro arrived, and now looked to be leading an impromptu training session in the Division courtyard. Over the past six years, as she'd been growing, the captain had been letting her participate in the fights more and more. She stood in the center of a group of shinigami, swinging her sheathed zanpakuto around by the cord she still sometimes dragged it around with. She was tall enough to wear it properly now, but she still kept the cord. It looked like she had found other uses for it.

"Don't say it," Karin warned her boyfriend, as Yachiru gleefully jumped onto one shinigami's head before spinning and kicking another in the face.

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"Like hell you weren't."

Toshiro gave her a small smile, and Karin rolled her eyes, laying back on the slanting rooftop. She muttered something under her breath about annoying guys, but he knew her well enough by now to know that there was no bite to the statement. Really, just hanging out here like this was nice. It was comfortable. If every day was like this, she'd wonder why on earth she'd been so reluctant to start this relationship in the first place. But when he smiled at her like that and her stomach did flip-flops—

—Well, that was a different story.

"Anything interesting happen today?" she asked, to take her mind off the blush starting to spread its way onto her cheeks.

"Not really," said Toshiro. "The Fifth and the Thirteenth are doing joint training."

"Ichi-nii and Rukia-nee again, I guess," said Karin, opening her eyes. She watched as a cloud slowly floated its way across the sky overhead, blocking out the sun for a moment. "The two of them make a pretty good team."

Toshiro nodded. "They do," he said. After a minute of silence, he glanced over at her. "What about you? Did you do anything interesting?"

"Went to visit Yuzu at the Sixth," said Karin, sitting up.

"How is she doing there?"

"_She's _doing fine," said Karin. "Her captain's still an ass."

Toshiro sighed. "I guess it's too much to hope for that you two eventually get along, isn't it?" he asked.

"Damn right," said Karin, folding her arms.

"Anyway," said Toshiro, his eyes moving towards the Eleventh again. "It's...good to see that you're fitting in in your Division. You're not having any more trouble, are you?"

"With the recruits?" asked Karin. "Not for a couple of weeks."

"And with the others?" asked Toshiro.

Karin grinned, lying back down. "Not yet," she said.

Something in her tone made Toshiro look up. "Oi, Karin..." he said, a note of alarm in his voice. "What are you planning?"

"We've got seven 19th seats," said Karin, turning her head to face him. "Mizokuchi's the weakest, Ichikawa's the strongest."

"So, you're training until you can challenge Mizokuchi?" asked Toshiro, frowning at her.

"Nah." Karin turned away from him, the smile still on her face as she looked up at the sky. "Ichikawa."

"_Karin!" _

"What?" asked Karin, glancing at him. "If I can't beat the strongest one, what's the point?"

"Division ranking is _not _a game of soccer!" said Toshiro, turning towards her.

"It's still a game, isn't it?" asked Karin, closing her eyes again. "At least, it is in the Eleventh Division."

"Honestly," Toshiro sighed, covering his face with his hand. "I'm not sure whether I should be scared _for _you or scared _of _you."

"You've got time. You'll figure it out."

She found herself grinning as Toshiro let out another exasperated sigh, closing her eyes at the feel of the wind against her face. Toshiro always managed to draw out a playful side of her that not a lot of other people got a chance to see. It was nice, she decided, just being up here with him. It was nice...

"Oh, taicho, this is where you went~," said a familiar voice, causing Karin to open her eyes and sit up. Matsumoto smiled at them from the other side of the roof, holding herself up with her arms and her...chest. Toshiro turned to stare at her, his eyes as wide as Karin's.

"Matsumoto!" he said.

"Having a date in such a public place," said Matsumoto, pressing one finger against her cheek. "I didn't think you were that bold, taicho!"

"Shut up!" said Toshiro.

"We're not—!" Karin said, at the exact same time.

The two of them paused, exchanging glances with each other. Matsumoto gave them her best innocent stare, pursing her lips in thought.

"I wonder what Kurosaki-taicho will say when he hears about this," she said. "Ooh, I know. I should tell him!"

She grinned to herself, releasing her hold on the rooftop and dropping down. Toshiro's eyes widened and he surged forward, his hand closing around empty air as his vice-captain slipped right through his fingers. "No, wait! Matsumoto—!"

A black and orange streak started making its way towards the Fifth Division, the vice-captain grinning to herself as she ran. Karin and Toshiro both jumped to their feet, looking alarmed.

"You chase her, I'll cut her off!" said Karin.

Toshiro nodded quickly, the two of them flash-stepping away.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**Omake: Masa-pyon and Kohaku-sama's Shinigami Diary :D (YEAH, YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT, MASA!) **

_Masa stares up at the title in outrage. "IWASE!" he says. "You are banned from Sharpies!" _

_"For how long?" asks Kohaku, with a frown, putting away the pink marker as she appears on set. _

_"20,000 years!" _

_"Eh?!" asks Kohaku, eyes wide. "So my changing your title is on par with AIZEN?" _

_"Fine, 22,000 years!" says Masa, folding his arms. _

_"Hey, wait a minute_—!" __

__Masa ignores her, turning his attention to the screen. The zanpakuto on the screen has changed, and is now a katana with a silver hilt, a line of molten metal in the background. "Today, we are going to talk about my zanpakuto, Setsuyoku," he says. __

__"We're talking about yours today?" asks Kohaku, blinking. "Was that on the schedule?" __

__"You are not the only one with access to Sharpies, Iwase." __

__Kohaku gives him a flat look. "I thought I was banned for 20,000 years," she says. __

__"Not important!" says Masa. "At any rate, Setsuyoku's release form is liquid metal, which can be molded into anything. It has five basic forms, each of which corresponds to aspects of character that I believe are important, and reflects people that I subconsciously believe exemplify those aspects." __

__"Oh, is that how it works?" asks Kohaku, eyes wide. "So your zanpakuto is basically you being a fanboy, isn't it?" __

__"It is not!" says Masa, a vein twitching on his forehead. He smacks the screen with the pointer, causing the image to change. "Form One: Setsuyoku's projectile form. It represents nobility. It's influence_—." ___

___"Ooh, ooh, I know!" says Kohaku, raising her hand. "Kuchiki Byakuya!" ___

___"Unfortunately, yes," says Masa, the screen changing to show the stoic captain's face. "As much as I hate to admit it, Kuchiki-dono exemplifies both nobility and the acceptance of the responsibility behind it. Next_—Setsuyoku's bladed rings. They come in pairs, and represent loyalty." __  
____

____"Ummm...the Kurosaki twins?" asks Kohaku. ____

____"Correct," says Masa, the image changing to show Karin and Yuzu standing next to each other. The picture changes again as he points at it, revealing a large curved sword made of liquid metal. "Third, Setsuyoku's sword form. It represents strength, fighting spirit, and the courage to lead."____

____"Oh, that one's easy," says Kohaku, folding her arms. "Kurosaki Ichigo." ____

____Masa nods, the image changing again to show the Captain of the Fifth. "Next, an impenetrable shield, representing the desire to protect. You can't guess this one, Iwase." ____

____Kohaku frowns, thinking about it for a moment. "Shield..." she mutters to herself, tapping her chin with her hand. "Shield, shield, shield_—ooh, I know! Your father and grandfather!"_____

_____"And my mother," says Masa, the screen changing to show the three of them against the emblem of the Ankoujin Clan. "You didn't get it all right, Iwase." _____

_____"Well, to be honest," said Kohaku, scratching the back of her neck. "It's...uh...kind of easy to forget your mother exists. She doesn't even get any screen time. What does she look like?" _____

_____"What do you mean, what does she look like?" asks Masa. "She's right here!" He points emphatically at the image. _____

_____"Well, yeah," says Kohaku, "But without a description, the audience won't know, y'know." _____

_____"I'm not having this conversation," says Masa. "Anyway, that's all for today." _____

_____"Wait, what?" Kohaku blinks, staring at Masa. "But that was only four! What's the fifth?" _____

_____"We don't talk about the fifth," says Masa, collapsing the pointer and tucking it back in his sleeve. _____

_____"Why not?" _____

_____"It's a spoiler." _____

_____"It's me, isn't it?" asks Kohaku, eyes starry. "Why, Masa, I'm so touched!" _____

_____Masa's eye twitches. "It is **not **you, Iwase!" _____

* * *

**Q &amp; A Time**

_"Alright, Masa," says Kohaku, reading a card. "Our first question is for you, from **aSilentReader**." _

_"For me?" asks Masa, sitting across from Kohaku on what looks like the set of a talk show. "Very well. I'll attempt to answer it as best as I can." _

_"That's the spirit," says Kohaku. "So, aSilentReader asks, 'What do you think of non-platonic relationships within a Division?" _

_"Unacceptable," says Masa, without missing a beat. "Such relationships are unprofessional and reflect a conflict of interest! They should not be allowed, particularly if they involve the Division's captain!" _

_Kohaku frowns at Masa's impassioned response, looking up over the card. "You're just upset about Yuzu and Kuchiki-taicho, aren't you?" _

_"As I've said," says Masa. "Unacceptable!"_


	4. Lessons learned

** A/N: **As promised, here's a _Trials _update. For those of you following _Chasing_, we're going into our last arc with approximately 10-11 chapters left, and some of the things that happen to Karin in this chapter will definitely be getting a call back there.

The sequel to _Chasing _will be primarily ByaYuzu fluff, but I aim to actually make the sequel about three pairings (Hitsukarin fluff is a problem to write because they are not very fluffy individuals, but I will do my best to make them romantic as well without being OOC), so that fans of all three pairings won't walk away too disappointed. (Whoops, did I say three? *glances at OCs* I meant four, ohohohoho~)

Also, the omake may or may not be a preview for much later on, depending on what I decide to do~ (My sister designed the two characters in the omake, so I threw them in as a tribute to her).

This shouldn't be a warning at this point, but I just figured I'd point out...Karin has a potty mouth when she's annoyed (especially when she thinks she's alone). Eleventh Division is a bad influence in that regard.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach. At all.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Lessons learned**

* * *

_**One year later**_

_"ORRRRRAAAAAAA!"  
_

Karin's eyes snapped open at a sudden flux of reiatsu, and she quickly rolled out of bed, still wrapped in her blanket. As soon as she was out of the way, the wall above her bed splintered, a grinning Zaraki Kenpachi and some hapless Eleventh Division officer crashing through. They fell backwards onto what was left of her futon, swords locked together and debris scattering around them. The officer went limp, his zanpakuto falling from his hand as his dazed eyes stared up at the ruined ceiling. Zaraki grinned at her, swiping his sword out to the side. She was still crouched under her blanket, facing her bed with one hand on Ongetsu's sheath and the other on its hilt.

Ikkaku and Yumichika poked their heads through the new hole in her wall, surveying the destruction.

"Oh, not bad, Karin-chan," said Yumichika as he saw her. "Your reflexes are getting better."

"Nah," said Karin, sitting up and dusting herself off. She thought back to her childhood, where rolling out of bed to avoid flying Isshins was a necessary survival skill. "I'm used to this." She blinked, looking around at everyone as if just noticing that they were there. "Also, what the hell are all of you doing in my _room?!"_

"Yay! Party in Karin's room! Good morning, Rin-chan!"

A flash of pink tore through the hole in the wall, slamming into her chest. Karin let out an 'oof' as she fell backwards, glancing up at a grinning Yachiru.

"Oi..." she began, frowning at the younger girl. Yachiru scrambled off her before she could say anything, running to Kenpachi.

"Did you get him, Ken-chan?" she asked, excitedly, poking at the unconscious officer that now lay in a pile of wood on her bed.

Karin sighed, lying back on the ground in defeat and running a hand through her hair.

* * *

Karin was many things, but a morning person was not one of them. She was perfectly capable of waking up and being functional in the morning—had done it many times, both in the Academy and in Karakura Town for soccer practices—but that didn't mean she liked it. Unfortunately, while she was lucky enough to be in a Division whose captain considered sleeping in as a perfectly valid excuse to get out of work (alongside training, shopping, eating, drinking, and just about anything else that wasn't sitting around being useless), she was also in a Division where getting woken up by early morning brawls crashing into her quarters was just par for the course.

As such, she was not in the best of moods when she staggered into the mess hall for breakfast, her shihakusho slightly disheveled and her long black ponytail slightly askew. It had been about thirty minutes since said incident with Zaraki and the wall, just long enough for her to conclude that, no, sleeping on the floor wasn't worth it, and besides, she really needed to get that unconscious officer out of there and—crap, was he bleeding all over her _bed_? Not cool. She used some of her old medical training to check his vitals and make sure he wasn't _dying_, then, convinced that he was just a little dazed, slung him over her shoulder and deposited him roughly in the hallway, all while wondering what on earth possessed him to pick a fight with the captain. A quick shake of the mattress and a sweep of the area and her bed was good as new. As for the wall...

...She'd deal with the wall later. Much, much later. She wondered if there was any way she could get that officer to fix the wall for her, considering he was the one who broke it in the first place.

No, wait. He outranked her.

Well, there went that idea.

She grabbed a tray of food and a steaming cup of coffee and plopped it down on a table in the corner of the mess hall, waving her hand absently to acknowledge greetings of 'Morning, 17th Seat Kurosaki.'. She wondered how many seats she was going to have to win to convince these guys that she _really _didn't mind being called by her first name. Karin took a long sip of coffee, resolving not to bother with that until she was conscious. Thankfully, after a year in the Eleventh, most people seemed to understand the whole 'not a morning person' thing. Maybe they would actually leave her alone for a few hours.

"Morning Rin-chan! Are you drinking coffee? Ken-chan says I'm not allowed to drink coffee, on account of the last time I did it, I broke the roof and it was raining. Can I sit with you? Are you gonna eat your toast?"

—Or not.

Karin reached out with one hand, placing it on Yachiru's head and gently but firmly pushing the preteen off her lap. She wondered if this was how Toshiro felt dealing with Matsumoto all the time. She popped another piece of food in her mouth, not looking at Yachiru as the pink-haired girl dropped into the seat next to her, still grinning. She did, however, reach out as Yachiru attempted to stealthily snatch some of her food, trapping the pink-haired girl's chopsticks beneath her own.

"That's mine," she said. "Go get your own."

"But I already ate," said Yachiru.

"Then, go steal food from someone else. Yumichika's probably on a diet. He won't notice."

"Oh, are you two talking about me?" asked Yumichika, walking over to them with a tray in his hands and a smirk on his face. Behind him, Ikkaku followed, grinning. As they placed their trays down, Yachiru launched herself up at them from across the table, letting out a giggle. She placed one hand on Ikkaku's shoulder and the other on Yumichika's, nearly knocking them both into each other as she pushed off of them, swinging around Ikkaku and dropping into the seat next to his. Both of them let out shouts of alarm as they tried to keep their balance, and Ikkaku immediately straightened up, turning towards Yachiru.

"Oi!" he said. "You're getting a little too big for that!"

"But it's still fun!" said Yachiru with a grin, reaching out and picking up some of Ikkaku's food.

"Hey—!" said Ikkaku, reaching out with his chopsticks. He was too late to stop her, however, and Yachiru grinned, kicking her feet back and forth as she chewed on her ill-gotten gains. Karin propped her head up with one hand and took a sip of her coffee with the other, wondering how some people could be so alert in the mornings.

"Oh, yeah, Karin, that reminds me," said Ikkaku, looking up after a small scuffle with Yachiru over whatever was left on his plate. "You're training with me today. Hope you're prepared. I'm not gonna go easy on you just because you're Ichigo's sister."

"Yeah, yeah," said Karin, waving her hand in vague acknowledgment. "I'll be there." She raised her cup to her mouth, taking another sip of coffee. She lowered her cup, tensing slightly as she noticed Yumichika staring at her hair, his expression strangely contemplative. "Yumichika," she said, glancing at him. "You're doing the thing again. Stop doing the thing. It's creepy."

"But your hair..." said Yumichika, reaching out and tugging impatiently at the end of her messy ponytail. Karin's eyes widened, and she sprang back, nearly falling off the bench. "It's just not fair. You've got all this long, straight, beautiful black hair, and you tie it up in a ponytail! It's a crime!"

"Will you just _stop _messing with my hair?!" asked Karin, reaching out and swatting his hand away. "I _like _my ponytail!"

"At least make it an artsy ponytail. Instead of that 17th century samurai look. What are you, some kind of wandering swordsman that goes around picking fights?"

"..." Karin had to think about that one for a minute. "_Yes!" _

"Still ugly," said Yumichika, sitting back in his seat and folding his arms.

"Keep that up and I'll cut it all off," Karin warned, gripping her chopsticks in both hands.

Yumichika smiled. "As long as you cut it off..." He struck a pose, sparkles flying as he pushed his hair back and grinned. "..._beautifully."_

"Alright, I'm out," said Karin, slapping her chopsticks back onto her tray. It was too early to deal with this. She stood up, picking up her tray and maneuvering her way around the bench. "I'm eating in my room."

"Training yard in thirty," Ikkaku called after her as she walked away.

Karin raised an arm in acknowledgment, making her way to the door.

As she walked away, Yachiru stared after her, her head propped up in both her hands, and a frown on her face as if she was thinking.

"I think Rin-Rin likes it here," she finally said, tilting her head to the side.

* * *

Karin took a step back, her eyes wide as Ikkaku advanced. She raised Ongetsu's scythe quickly, catching the point of his spear on the flat of her own blade. Karin turned Hozukimaru's spear point aside, then quickly reversed direction, slashing Ongetsu at Ikkaku's middle. The third seat stepped easily out of reach, blocking her blow with his spear's shaft. He swung the spear down, and Karin had to jump back to avoid getting cut. The blade passed within an inch of her shoulder, tearing open a line in her shihakusho. Karin's eyes widened as she jumped back, quickly swinging her scythe at Ikkaku. He caught it easily with Hozukimaru's blade, keeping it there.

"Oi," he said. "What's with that boring fighting style?"

Karin looked up at him. She was breathing heavily from the intensity of the training session, the strands of dark hair that had fallen out of her ponytail clinging to her face with sweat. Ongetsu's scythe blade curved in the air a few inches from Ikkaku's head, held in place by Hozukimaru. "Boring?" she asked, once she had caught her breath.

"Slash, slash, slash, slash," said Ikkaku, frowning at her. "You ain't gonna win if that's the way you fight. Your zanpakuto's got two ends. Use 'em."

Karin frowned, glancing at Ongetsu's other end. The bottom of the shaft was capped with metal, but other than that it was dull, especially when compared to the large blade on the scythe's other end. "There's no blade on that side," she said.

"That so?" asked Ikkaku, grinning. Without warning, he suddenly flipped Hozukimaru around, jabbing the point of the shaft at her midsection. Karin's eyes widened as the wind was knocked out of her, the force of the blow sending her flying back. Ikkaku quickly advanced, a grin on his face as he spun Hozukimaru around, the blunt end of the shaft catching the side of her face before she could hit the ground. She flew off to the right, groaning as she slammed into the ground hard and continued rolling. Ikkaku advanced, and Karin quickly rolled to the side, still gasping for breath as Hozukimaru's blunt end slammed into the ground where she had been a few seconds ago. He turned towards her, swinging the shaft, and she managed to get Ongetsu up in time, holding the scythe out in front of her to stop him. The shaft slammed into the side of the blade, coming to a stop.

Karin stared up at him, breathing hard. Her whole body ached, in a way that told her she would be feeling it later. She moved her jaw experimentally, clenching her teeth against the pain. Not broken. One hell of a bruise, probably, but not broken.

"Well?" asked Ikkaku, grinning down at her. "Still hurts, doesn't it?"

She tasted blood in her mouth from that last blow. Karin wiped at her mouth with one shaky hand, meeting his eyes. "You've made your point," she said.

"Hm." Ikkaku stepped back, removing the spear. Karin sat up as soon as the pressure holding her down was gone, holding Ongetsu with both hands and using the scythe to help push herself to her feet. Ikkaku was already turning away from her, walking back towards the Division. "You wanna become a serious contender around here, you gotta learn to use that weapon to its fullest," he said. "That means start spinning. We'll pick this up again tomorrow."

Karin watched as he walked away, her eyes traveling to the scythe in her hand. Experimentally, she gave it a spin. It slipped from her fingers, clattering to the ground. Karin frowned, reaching down to pick it up again.

* * *

"So, I'm guessing you and Karin-chan had fun earlier?" asked Yumichika, smiling as he and Ikkaku walked back to the Division later that night, Ikkaku with a jug of sake slung over one shoulder. The third seat shrugged, glancing at his friend.

"Ah, she's a cocky brat," he said. "Same old, same old."

"You said that about Renji too," Yumichika noted, still smiling.

"Did I?" asked Ikkaku, glancing away. He thought back to Renji's first years in the Eleventh Division, how he thought an extending sword would give him an advantage when he was too afraid to actually _extend _the damn thing. "Well, it was true."

"Hmm?"

Yumichika smiled, saying nothing more as they walked down the streets of Seireitei, approaching the Eleventh Division. There, he paused, the jug of sake still in his hand as he studied the scene in front of him. Ikkaku came to a stop as well, watching.

"Oho..." Yumichika said.

The training yard of the Eleventh Division was lit by moonlight, the silvery light reflecting against Ongetsu's blade. Kurosaki Karin stood in the center of the courtyard, her scythe in both hands. The two Eleventh Division officers watched as she drew in a slow breath, her eyes fixing on the scythe as she slowly raised it over her head. She spun it, lazily at first but quickly increasing in speed. The scythe moved, becoming a blur of black above her. She shifted it to her right hand, bringing it down to her side.

The scythe slipped from her fingers, carried too far by the weight of the blade.

"Fuck," Karin cursed, bending down to pick it up. She winced in pain, her other arm going around her middle where Hozukimaru had stuck her. As the two of them watched, she picked up the scythe again, resting the other end on the ground as she glared at it. "Alright," she said, taking in a slow breath and letting her hand slowly peel away from her midsection. "One more time..."

Ikkaku watched Karin for a moment more, then turned away, disappearing through a side gate and walking into the Division. Yumichika hurried to keep pace with him, giving his friend a knowing smile.

"Well?" he asked, as they entered the Division's corridors.

"She's still got a long way to go," said Ikkaku, walking a little ahead of Yumichika. He couldn't _quite _manage to hide his smile though.

From the courtyard outside, Yumichika heard the sound of the blunt metal striking flesh, followed by the scythe clattering to the ground.

"...fucking piece of shit..." he heard Karin mutter.

Yumichika smiled, hurrying to catch up with Ikkaku.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**Omake: Masa-Masa's Love Love Life Diary Corner Star Sparkle!  
**

_..._

_"Iwase...what does that even mean?" asks Masa, glancing up at the title above him. _

_"I don't know," says Kohaku, lowering the bright pink paintbrush with a grin. "I think it's English, though." _

_"Do you even speak English?" asks Masa, frowning at her. _

_"Nope!" Kohaku replies cheerfully. "Not a word!" _

_Masa sighs, deciding by this point that it's best to just get on with it. He turns to face the audience, the title fading as he taps his pointer against the screen. "Today," he says, "We're going to talk about—" _

_"—My zanpakuto, Ayatori!" Kohaku blurts out, her arms spreading to cover the entire screen. Masa glances at her, frowning, and Kohaku looks back at him, a sheepish smile on her face. "Sorry," she says. "I've been waiting for this one forever." _

_Masa sighs, shaking his head. "Fine," he says. "If you want to, you can—"_

_"YES!" says Kohaku before he's finished talking. She quickly grabs the pointer out of his hands, slamming it excitedly at the screen and talking at rapid-fire speed as a series of images flash by on the screen, accompanying what she's saying."My zanpakuto, Ayatori, appears as a regular katana. But its unsealed form appears as a bunch of wires, just like the children's game, ayatori. Oh, sorry—it's cat's cradle over there, isn't it? Anyway, it lets me make a whole bunch of shapes with the wires, just like the children's game, except my wires can be super sharp, and they're much longer, and it's super awesome. I can use it to trap enemies, or to slice 'em to little bits, or to make platforms between buildings for me to stand on—you know, just like the cat's cradle bridge. Its release command is 'come out to play', and its zanpakuto spirit is—HEY!" _

_Kohaku lets out a shout as a bright light fills the screen, before the entire structure explodes outwards, a huge hole forming in the wall where the screen had once been. The blast knocks both Kohaku and Masa back, sending them tumbling to the floor as debris and rubble are strewn all over. From behind the wall, a small head of blond hair peeks out, glancing in both directions. _

_"I think it's safe, Kayo-chan," a young boy says, pulling himself up through the hole and extending a hand to the girl behind him. He's dressed in a white gi and dark red hakama, and his skin is dark, in sharp contrast to his blond hair. His eyes are gold as well, and he appears to be around eight years old. The girl he pulls through the hole by the hand looks about the same age, with long brown hair and brown eyes. She's dressed in a pale pink kimono. The boy is wearing some sort of device around his wrist, with several blinking lights. _

_The girl lets out a groan, holding her head. The boy turns toward her, looking at her with some concern. "Are you alright?" he asks. _

_"I'm fine," says the girl, Kayo. "Just dizzy." She looks behind her, and her eyes widen as she sees the wall. "Oh no, Eisuke! We broke the wall again!" _

_"Again?" asks Eisuke, scratching the back of his head as he considers it. "Darn. That's like, the fourth wall, isn't it?" _

_"Are we really making that joke?" asks Kohaku, pushing a hand under herself and struggling to her feet. _

_"And also, who are you?" asks Masa from the other side of the room, his eyes narrowing. _

_The two children look towards them, their eyes wide. Their eyes move between Masa and Kohaku a few times, before exchanging glances. In a flash, the two of them are standing huddled in a corner of the room, whispering to each other. _

_"That definitely looks like Masa-ji," the girl says. _

_"Agreed," says the boy. "That's definitely_ _Haru's dad." _

_"Which means the lady is Koha-basan."  
_

_"But they look so young..." says the boy._

_The girl frowns. "That must mean..." _

_"We went back in time!" the two children say in unison, their eyes wide as they turn to each other. _

_"Oi..." says Masa, as he and Kohaku walk slowly towards the children. "Who are you two again?" _

_"Yeah, and who's Haru?" asks Kohaku, frowning. _

_Kayo smiles brightly, stepping forward. "Haru is—mmph!" _

_Before she can finish speaking, Eisuke springs up, covering her mouth with one hand and pulling her back with the other arm. He glances up at Masa and Kohaku, then jumps back into the corner, releasing Kayo. "Don't tell them anything," he says, in a whisper loud enough to be heard anyway. "You could change the future!" _

_"The future...?" asks Kayo, blinking up at Eisuke. _

_"Yeah," says Eisuke, nodding. "A time paradox! For example, what if your dad finds out about me before I'm even born?" _

_Kayo stares at Eisuke, realization slowly dawning on her face. "We would never meet!" she says, her eyes widening in horror. "I would be so bored!" _

_"Exactly," says Eisuke, nodding again. "So, no talking about the future, got it?" _

_"Got it," says Kayo, nodding back. The two children exchange another round of nods, before Eisuke steps forward, clearing his throat. _

_"We are...aliens!" he says. "Um—cat aliens! From the planet...Pizzicato! Uh—nyan!_"

_"Right, nyan!" says Kayo, coming to stand next to Eisuke and nodding emphatically. "We are looking for our mothership, nyan." _

_"The—uh...Cat...astrophe, nyan!" says Eisuke. "And we really must be going!" _

_He grabs onto Kayo's hand, the two of them running off into the distance. As they run, Kayo reaches up with her other hand, waving at Masa and Kohaku. "It's nice to meet you, nyan~" she says. _

_Masa and Kohaku stare, blinking as the children run away. _

* * *

_"Phew," says Eisuke, once he and Kayo are far enough away. "That was close. Now to figure out how to get home." He holds the watch up close to his face, starting to fiddle with it. _

_"You're sure there aren't any instructions?" asks Kayo, straightening out her long brown hair. _

_"I'm sure," says Eisuke, looking at the watch. "My dad doesn't leave instructions. But don't worry, Kayo-chan! I can get us home." _

_"Okay, if you say so," says Kayo, looking around. She frowns, seeing something white resting on the floor. __"Hey, Eisuke, what's this?" she asks, picking up a crumpled up sheet of lined paper._

_"Just some lame note my dad wrote," says Eisuke, still fiddling with the settings. "It doesn't have any instructions, though, I already checked." _

_"Huh..." Kayo frowns, turning the note over. Instead of a signature, it has a pair of faces drawn onto the lower right corner, one of a chibi head with messy hair wearing a striped hat, and the other of a black cat. She shrugs, tossing the note away. _

* * *

**_Meanwhile, approximately 70 years in the future..._  
**

"I don't get it..." Urahara Kisuke scratched his head in confusion, blinking down at an empty metal pedestal where his new invention had been sitting just a moment ago. "I told him not to touch it."

Yoruichi folded her arms from where she was sitting on top of a rock in the underground training room beneath the shop, her legs crossed. "How did you tell him?" she asked.

"I wrote him a note," said Kisuke, lifting one finger. "It said 'Eisuke, this is very dangerous and still experimental. Do not touch. Heart, heart, smiley-face.'."

Yoruichi scowled, a vein pulsing on her forehead as she sat up. "Then _of course _he's going to touch it!" she said.

"I even drew him a picture of us to show that I was serious..." said Kisuke, ignoring her outburst and walking away. He sighed, rubbing his chin with one hand. "Kids these days..."

* * *

**Q &amp; A Time**

_"Alright,"_ _says Kohaku, pulling out two sheets of paper. "That was weird, but on with the show. Today we have two questions. First, for Masa. **Mysticfolly **really wants to know...what kind of food would you prefer? Italian, Chinese, or French?" _

_"Hmm..." Masa frowns, considering for a moment. "That's a difficult one. I suppose my answer would be French." _

_Kohaku snorts, setting down the paper. "You're just saying that to sound classy. I saw you scarf down that pizza." _

_"I don't know what you're talking about, Iwase," says Masa. He picks up a second piece of paper, glancing at Kohaku. "This one's for you. **whitedragon2645 **wants to know what Seireitei pairing you ship." He pauses for a moment, frowning. "Ship? Ship to where?" _

_Kohaku sighs, waving a hand dismissively. "Never mind, Masa. It's a fandom thing. You wouldn't understand." _

_"Understand what?" asks Masa. _

_"Nothing," says Kohaku. "Nothing. Anyway, I wanna say ByaYuzu because she's my best friend and all, but ByaRen is actually kinda hot. You've got that whole forbidden love, opposites attract thing going, and maybe my taicho will finally stop staring wistfully at Rukia when he thinks she isn't looking and—ooh! ooh! PLOT TWIST! ByaIchi! Ooh—or—UkiShun or whatever the name is for that—or—or—." _

_"Iwase..." says Masa, inching away from her on the couch. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but you're scaring me. And also your nose is bleeding." _

_Kohaku sniffs, wiping at her nose with one hand. "The price of youth," she says. _


	5. The way we fight

** A/N: **Hey guys! Sorry for the late updates. I was trying to rush my way through _Chasing, _which is done now, yay, and also planning the sequel, which should be up sometime this weekend if I get my way. I also outlined some of the rest of _Trials_, so hopefully we'll start to see some developments on that front. Anyway, enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach. At all.

* * *

**Chapter 5: The way we fight**

* * *

Ongetsu flashed through the air, its black blade reflecting sunlight as it sliced straight through the mask of the Hollow rushing at her. Karin didn't waste any time, grabbing the scythe by the shaft and spinning around to attack a Hollow that was coming up behind her. She let out a loud cry, kicking the Hollow in the side with her foot and turning its face away as she raised her scythe overhead, bringing it down hard on top of the Hollow. The Hollow roared as Ongetsu bisected it, the creature already beginning to dissolve. Karin landed on the ground, tossing her sweat-soaked hair out of her face as she paused to catch her breath. She could still feel Ongetsu humming with energy between her fingertips, the zanpakuto wanting more opponents to fight. Karin suppressed that urge, glancing back over her shoulder as a pair of Eleventh Division members passed her on either side, swords out and shouting.

The Eleventh had been called to deal with a Hollow outbreak on the outskirts of a city in the world of the living. As always, most of its members had jumped at the task. Zaraki and Yachiru hadn't come —the Hollows in question had been too weak to interest either of them—although Ikkaku and Yumichika were there, supervising. Karin scanned the battlefield, pausing to catch her breath. Within the first twenty minutes of battle, the group of Eleventh Division shinigami had managed to cut the number of Hollows down by half, but there was still quite a few of them. She rubbed at her shoulder where a Hollow had crashed into her, looking for somewhere she could jump into the fight.

A cry of pain rang out through the battlefield, and Karin's eyes widened as she glanced in that direction. A shinigami, one of the unseated ones, had been knocked back by a Hollow, one that was quickly advancing on him. He was bleeding from a wound in the shoulder, and he struggled to get up as the Hollow advanced, one hand on his sword. She moved quickly, flash-stepping towards him.

Karin appeared on the ground a few feet away from the man, her hand on Ongetsu's shaft. She landed on the ground, prepared to take another flash-step.

Ikkaku and Yumichika appeared in front of her suddenly, blocking her way. She drew to a stop, her eyes wide as she stumbled forward, nearly falling over in an attempt to avoid crashing into them. Her eyes moved past them to the shinigami in front of them, the one struggling to stand. The Hollow was almost on top of him now, snarling at him. As Karin watched, the shinigami raised his sword, barely getting the blade up in time as the Hollow crashed down on top of him, its jaws closing around the steel of the katana. The shinigami's eyes were wide in terror as he tried to push the Hollow back.

"You guys—!" Karin began, turning towards Ikkaku and Yumichika.

Ikkaku looked over his shoulder at her, scowling. Yumichika did the same, a frown on his face.

"What do you think you're doing, Karin-chan?" Yumichika asked.

"That guy needs help!" said Karin, looking past the two of them and at the struggling shinigami. The shinigami was sitting up, struggling with the Hollow. He had both hands on his sword now, but his left hand was obviously weaker than the right, and it wouldn't take long for the Hollow to overpower him. THe creature slashed at him with its claws as it pressed forward, sensing that too.

"Fights should be one-on-one," said Ikkaku. "He won't like it if you interfere with his fight."

"But, he'll die—," Karin began.

"Then, let him die," said Yumichika with a shrug, looking back at the fight. "There's no place in this Division for unbeautiful weaklings."

"Yumichika!" said Karin, gripping her scythe with both hands. She stepped forward, about to try and push through anyway, when Ikkaku stopped her, Houzukimaru's spear form blocking her way.

"This is how we fight!" said Ikkaku, his eyes narrowed at her. "If you don't like it, you can leave."

Karin stared at Ikkaku, looking past him at the shinigami. The Hollow had nearly overpowered him now, and he was sliding backwards across the ground, fighting to keep a hold on his sword. Karin tightened her grip on Ongetsu's shaft, her eyes wide as the Hollow charged at him. The shinigami fell backwards, gritting his teeth as he stared at the Hollow from over his crossed swords.

Then, something changed. His eyes narrowed, and he let out a loud shout, sliding his sword out from between the Hollow's jaws. The Hollow reared back, mouth open to strike, but before it could get there, the shinigami's sword slipped just under its neck, thrusting upwards and piercing its skull. For a moment, they stood frozen in time, Hollow and shinigami, and then the Hollow began to dissolve, falling away around the shinigami's sword with a crack like breaking glass.

The shinigami slumped back onto the ground, breathing hard. In that instant, two other shinigami appeared on either side of him, helping him up to his feet.

Karin's grip on Ongetsu relaxed just slightly as she watched the three of them, her heart still pounding. In front of her, Yumichika sheathed his sword with a satisfied smile. "See?" he said. "He gets it."

Karin didn't respond, her eyes still on the scene. Even long after the fight was over, she couldn't suppress her feeling of unease.

* * *

It was late in the day by the time the group of fighters returned to the Eleventh Division. The shinigami who had been involved in the fight, along with some of the others who had been injured, were quickly sent to the Fourth. Karin's own injuries consisted of a gash along her arm where one of the Hollow's teeth had grazed her. She'd bandaged it herself while they were resting after the battle, tugging the bandages tight with her teeth. Right now it stung, but it wasn't enough to bother the Fourth Division over, and Karin didn't feel like making her way over there in any case.

She walked into the Division quietly, her eyes fixed straight ahead of her. Her mood had been sour since the incident with the shinigami and Hollow, for reasons even she couldn't put her finger on. The shinigami around her seemed to sense that, and she walked in a little pocket of space, the others flowing around her and giving her a wide berth. Normally, that wouldn't have bothered Karin, but now it seemed to grate on her.

Wasn't she one of them?

"Look at her," a voice muttered, a hand gesturing in her direction. "Thinks she's so tough, just because she's an officer."

Karin came to a stop, glancing over at the speaker. It was Nakashima Yoshito, the shinigami she had put in his place her first day in the Eleventh. He was seated in the corner of the division's main hall with a group of his friends, a pair of dice on the floor between them. When he saw her glaring, he tensed and quickly turned back to his game, letting out an annoyed 'tch'. Karin exhaled, considering letting it go, but the other shinigami around her had come to a stop as well, watching the situation. She straightened up, knowing that they were all watching her.

She crossed the distance between her and Nakashima. "You talk big for someone who wasn't even out there today, Nakashima," she said, coming up behind him.

Nakashima snorted, tossing his dice with an annoyed flick of his hand as he looked over his shoulder at her. "At least I wasn't there to see you cry over Tominaga, _17th Seat_."

Tominaga. So that was his name.

Karin scowled, annoyed both at herself and the fact that news about her behavior had already had time to come back. She kicked out, planting her foot between Nakashima's shoulder blades and driving him forward into the floor. "Keep that up," she said as she stood there, "And we'll see if anyone'll be there to cry over you."

She pulled away from him, turning around and walking away. The group of shinigami around her parted, giving her a straight path through to the door. As she neared it, she heard Nakashima push himself back off the floor, rubbing at his jaw as he looked over at her. "Che," he said. "You talk tough, but we all know you're a weakling on the inside."

Karin said nothing, not turning around to face him. She felt the tension in the air deepen, crackling between her and Nakashima as thirty pairs of eyes turned towards her. Karin's hand tightened its grip on her sword, but she didn't turn around. Instead, she started walking again.

"See?" Nakashima said to the others. "She won't even face me."

"I'm not in the mood for another boring fight," said Karin, continuing to walk. When she heard Nakashima get to his feet, she glanced to the side, at the group of shinigami around her. "Someone shut him up before I kill him."

She didn't hear any more from Nakashima as she turned away, heading down the corridor towards her room. Karin had only gone a few steps before she changed her mind, turning around and heading for the Tenth instead.

* * *

Karin lay on her back with her fingers laced together behind her head, watching the way the sunlight filtered in beneath the awning above her. In the courtyard ahead, a group of shinigami from the Tenth moved in unison, executing a few team maneuvers Toshiro had recently come up with. Karin watched them idly, trying not to look like she was paying too much interest. The group didn't move through their drills with the same exact orderly precision that she had seen in the Sixth Division, but they moved like a team, each member finding ways to support the others. She watched as a shinigami dived in front of another to block a strike coming from a third, a frown on her face as their wooden swords clacked together.

_"Kurosaki, over here!" _

_A boy shouted at her from the other side of the field, kicking a soccer ball ahead of him. Karin glanced in his direction, breathing hard from exertion. Her muscles burned with exhaustion, and the sun beat down on her, her sweaty clothes sticking to her skin. The game had been going on for seventy minutes now, and most of the players on the field had been moving for at least that long. She could already feel herself starting to lag, but her teammate's eyes were on hers, and she could tell that he was having as hard of a time of it as she was. She grit her teeth, spurring herself onward and forcing herself to run faster as she picked up a burst of speed, darting past the two opposing players starting to close in on her. The other player wove between an angry looking opponent, sending the ball her way with a shout. _

_Karin looked around and was aware of only a few things, the ball moving towards her in an arc, the two players closing in behind her, a defender up ahead, and the goalie up ahead of her, crouched down and waiting. The two players behind her closed in, they were faster than her, they would reach her, they would—_

_"Yamamura!" Karin shouted, glancing quickly to her left. Just as the two players reached her, she kicked the ball, sending it to a brown-haired boy just ahead. Karin fell back as he put on a burst of speed, rushing towards the goalie. _

_The ball sailed past the goalie's outstretched arms, striking the corner of the net. The next thing Karin knew, people were cheering..._

The memory, nearly seven years old, stuck with her and Karin turned away from the practicing shinigami, staring up at the ceiling. The game had been one of her last, back in the last year of junior high. The players she had played with then would have graduated high school already. They would be in university, perhaps on their way to careers and families of their own.

It wasn't the first time she'd felt frozen in time.

"Karin?" asked Toshiro, looking up from supervising the drills to turn towards her. "Something wrong?"

"Do you think I'm weak, Toshiro?"

Karin hadn't meant to ask that question, but it slipped out anyway. Now that she had said it, there was nothing to do but wait for his answer. She turned her head to the side so that she could see him, watching him expectantly. Toshiro blinked in surprise, looking back at her. "No," he said. "Of course not. Why do you ask?"

Karin shook her head, looking back up at the ceiling. "Something that happened today," she said. "When we were out fighting Hollows. One of our unseated shinigami got in some trouble, so I went to go help him. Apparently, the other guys had a problem with that."

Problem was an understatement. She could still see Ikkaku and Yumichika's faces, still hear their words in the back of her mind.

_"This is how we fight! If you don't like it, you can leave..." _

Karin sat up, drawing her knees up in front of her and resting her arms on them. She turned towards Toshiro, who was still watching her. He seemed to have ignored the drill now, a frown on his face like he was trying to think of the words to say. Karin tilted her head towards him questioningly, waiting.

"I don't think you're weak," said Toshiro finally, looking back at the practicing shinigami. "You're a team player, Karin. You've always been. That doesn't make you weak. It just makes you different, that's all."

_Different._

Karin looked back at the shinigami, the frown still on her face. Up until today, she had never questioned her place in the Eleventh Division. True, she didn't have the same drive to seek out fights that some of the other guys in the Division did, but she enjoyed being there. Every day was a new challenge, another part of the competition.

Today, however...

She shook her head, her eyes on the shinigami as they continued to move in harmony, the two teams charging each other as they moved apart and came together again.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

**Omake: Masa and Kohaku's Shinigami Corner  
**

_"Masa?" asks Kohaku, frowning as she looks up at the title with a paintbrush in her hand. "Did you change the title already?" _

_"I thought if I did it, I could stop you from including something embarrassing," says Masa, lowering his pen. "At any rate, since our set has been destroyed, we'll be hosting this episode in the interview room." _

_"Yeah, who were those kids anyway?" asks Kohaku, glancing at the hole in the set. _

_"We may never know," says Masa. _

_They take a seat on the couches in the interview room, where Yuzu and Karin are already waiting. The twins are sitting on opposite sides of Masa and Kohaku, and while Yuzu looks nervous, Karin simply looks bored. Masa turns towards the audience. "For this episode of the Shinigami Corner," he says, "we've invited characters from the main story to form a discussion panel." _

_Kohaku nods. "Today, it's our favorite twins—Kurosaki Yuzu and Kurosaki Karin! And the subject of discussion for today is...similarities!" She looks up from the card she's reading, looking between the sisters. "You two don't actually have much in common, you know." _

_"Sure we do," says Karin, looking between her and Yuzu. "We're both loyal." _

_Yuzu nods. "Determined," she adds. _

_"And reckless," says Karin. _

_"What?" Yuzu turns towards her sister, eyes wide. "I'm not reckless." _

_Karin gives her a flat look. "Kyoka. Suigetsu," she says, folding her arms. "Kyoka freaking Suigetsu." _

_"That's different. That was planned." _

_"A reckless plan is still reckless!" says Karin. "And by the way, any plan that ends with 'and then I die and everyone lives happily ever after after eventually getting over my terrible death' is not a good plan!" _

_"Well, when you put it that way..." Yuzu mutters, looking away. _

_"While you two might not have much in common with each other, you do share a lot in common with your brother, Kurosaki Ichigo," Masa notes. _

_"Yeah," says Kohaku, nodding. "For example, Yuzu-chan inherited his 'make every fight as dramatic as possible' shtick." _

_"And also his 'charge blindly into danger because something-something-protect everyone!" says Karin, folding her arms. _

_"I'm never going to live this down, am I, Karin-chan?" asks Yuzu, turning towards her. _

_"Hell no. I'm getting a lot of mileage out of this one," said Karin. "And also about the fact that your powers just come up as the plot demands. I mean, come on. Where did that whole 'Jungetsu can see through Kyoka Suigetsu's illusions' thing come from?" _

_"Um..." Yuzu begins. _

_"And Hakkyokan Jungetsu?! What was up with that?!" _

_"U-Urahara-san..." Yuzu starts. _

_"First, you're like 'I don't want a bankai'. Then, you're like, 'Urahara, bankai me, now!'. You know, some of us had to work for that. Do you know what On would do if I tried to pull that shit? Because it wouldn't be pretty."_

_"A-Anyway, what about Karin-chan?" asks Yuzu, obviously uncomfortable with this topic. "She has a lot of things in common with Ichi-nii too!" _

_"Well they're both athletic," says Masa. Karin nods. _

_"Both kind of rough around the edges," adds Kohaku. Karin nods. _

_"Both really oblivious when it comes to romance." Karin nods—then her eyes widen as she looks up. _

_"And yet, I'm the one who's single," says Yuzu, sighing. _

_"Well, gee, maybe because 'hiding my feelings for ten years, then leaving a love letter right before I go off on a suicide mission' is not an appropriate method of courtship!" says Karin. _

_"You're questioning a lot of my life decisions today, Karin-chan..." _

_"I have so many feelings." _

_"A-Anyway," says Kohaku. "They're—uh...both not afraid to back down from a fight, although that's kind of a common trait to all three Kurosakis." _

_"They both have an immense amount of spiritual power," says Masa. _

_"Visually similar bankais," Kohaku adds. _

_"And the tendency to get their clothes completely damaged in a fight." _

_"No lie, that's why I wear sarashi," says Karin, tugging at her shihakusho. "It preserves my modesty, while making me look badass." _

_"I just try not to get hit," says Yuzu, frowning in thought and looking up at the ceiling. "Although maybe that's just a 'me' thing." _

_"Was that...was that sarcasm?" asks Karin, blinking at Yuzu. _

_"Turnabout is fair play." _

* * *

**Q &amp; A Time**

_"Hello, lovely readers," says Kohaku, smiling at the audience. "Next chapter, we're going to start bringing special characters over to answer your questions. Our first guests are fan favorites and awesome love interests, Kuchiki Byakuya and Hitsugaya Toshiro. So ask away! Anything within this AU or outside of it is totally fair game, except for things that haven't actually happened yet. See you next time! Bye bye~" _

_"Iwase!" Masa says from the distance as the set lights go out. "Don't sign off like that! It gives the audience unpleasant memories." _

_"What?" asks Kohaku. "Just because I'm in the Third, and I'm from Rukongai, and my best friend is a brown-haired, brown-eyed illusionist that everyone loves? You think that would give the audience unpleasant memories?" _

_"Just...just don't make it worse," Masa says. _

* * *

**_The Future. Again._**

"Well, at least we know it works," said Kisuke, standing alone in the underground chamber.

"Know it works?" Yoruichi repeated, advancing on him. "Kisuke, you _lost our son_!"

"He'll come back," said Kisuke, turning towards her.

"And Kayo was with him!" said Yoruichi, her hands on her hips. "What am I supposed to tell Byakuya, huh? He already hates me!"

"He has another kid," said Kisuke, blinking up at her in confusion.

"That's not how it works!" said Yoruichi. "And again—you lost Eisuke!"

"Don't worry, Yoruichi-san, it'll be fine," said Kisuke, waving his hand dismissively. "These things have a way of working out."

"Oh?" asked Yoruichi. "These things have a way of working out? What do you expect, Kisuke?! Eisuke's just going to pop up right here?!" She swept out her hand, gesturing emphatically at the space next to her.

_Poof! _

"EISUKE!" Kisuke surged forward in delight, wrapping his arms around the little boy as he stood there, blinking. Yoruichi's eyes widened, and she stared at the two of them.

"I give up," she said, putting her hand against her forehead. "You're both the same..."


End file.
